History glossary
missionary
a person sent to spread a religion and establish new religious communities.
- Category
- Religious role
- Region
- Global
- Date range
- Varies
What it means
A missionary is someone sent to spread a religion, teach converts, and often create institutions such as churches, schools, or monasteries. In the medieval Church, missionaries frequently worked through rulers and royal courts as well as ordinary preaching.
Stories using this term
The Opium Wars
From the Canton System to the fall of Beijing, the Opium Wars turned illegal trade, imperial power and Qing weakness into a new unequal treaty order.
The Rise and Spread of Buddhism
From the Buddha's awakening to Ashoka's patronage and missions to Sri Lanka, Buddhism grew from a northern Indian path into a faith with foundations across Asia.
Charlemagne and the Carolingian Empire
From Pepin's papal-backed monarchy to Charlemagne's coronation, reforms and legacy, the Carolingian Empire reshaped medieval Europe.
The Age of Exploration
An era of exploration and empire linking continents through trade, conquest, and cultural exchange.
The Anglo-Saxons
The Anglo-Saxons were the peoples and kingdoms that shaped Anglo-Saxon England after the end of Roman rule in Britain. From migration and settlement in Anglo-Saxon Britain to Christian conversion, Viking attacks, Alfred the Great, and the road to 1066, Anglo-Saxon history explains how early medieval England took form. Their language, laws, kingdoms, monasteries, and political traditions left a lasting mark on English identity before the Norman Conquest transformed the realm.
The English Reformation
Henry VIII’s break with Rome reshaped religion, politics, and identity through decades of upheaval.
The Vietnam War
From decolonisation to Cold War conflict, the Vietnam War reshaped Southeast Asia and global politics.
The Viking Age
From raiders to traders, Vikings built kingdoms and networks that reshaped Europe and beyond.
